Here are some of the comments students have made:
‘When I first came to see Emma, I had skipped the basics of singing. Emma was able to show me these basics, teaching me how to start sound comfortably and with proper technique – reinforcing the positive ways I was using my voice, while highlighting and working to avoid the negative and harmful habits I had developed. I feel a lot more confident about my singing, now that I have a firm grip on the fundamentals I had always glossed over before. Emma was able to unlock great freedom in my voice and help me to realize that I don’t need to be afraid of high notes!‘
‘Emma’s extensive technical knowledge and sympathetic approach have helped me find my voice, both physically and emotionally.’
‘Emma has been a great teacher for me, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her lessons and often get compliments on my vocal technique. I recently competed in open mic UK, a competition in which industry professionals also commented and asked for the name of my vocal coach because they were so impressed. I would recommend Emma to anyone who would like to take up or further develop their vocal training. ‘
‘There is no one I trust more in the world of music than you.’
‘Having been told by my music teacher as a teenager that I didn’t have much of a voice and should stick to playing the piano, I never thought I had the potential to sing well. As an adult I enjoyed singing in church, and as I sang more, I sang better, but I still believed I lacked the vocal cords to be able to sing really well. Emma is a personal friend, and as I became interested in singing as an essential part of musical formation, she offered to give me a singing lesson. “Of course there’s nothing she can really make of my voice,” I thought rather sulkily as I went for the first time. However, Emma’s approach could not be further away from my former music teacher’s: she believes that good singing is a matter of training ourselves into good habits of posture, breathing, and sound production, things anyone is capable of, rather than a coldly deterministic view in which people are sorted into singing successes or failures according to their possession of the right vocal cords. I listened carefully to her advice and went away and tried to make sense of all I had been told, and lo and behold! it was not long before I was making a resonant noise which made the light fittings reverberate. “Where is that nice singing sound coming from?” I wondered. “Surely not from me?” I felt a bit like the ugly duckling when he realised he was, in fact, a swan, although it took a lot less time and many fewer hardships (and the invaluable instruction and encouragement of Mrs Pooley) for me to discover I really did have the potential to make a good sound. I have no doubt that Emma will help you unlock your voice, too, so long as you actually want to learn and do exactly what she says (that bit is very important). If you’ve been told you can’t sing, don’t believe it! Get some good training from Emma, instead.’
‘After a gap of many years since I had sung in a choir, I joined a workplace choir. I sing soprano, but was finding it difficult to hit my top notes. I went to Emma for lessons as I had known her for some years and heard her sing on many occasions. I was impressed by her professionalism and experience, the wide range of music that she sings and the engaging way she performs herself.
Emma took me right back to basics, teaching me how to breathe properly and carefully explained the mechanics of voice production, particularly the correct mouth positions required for the different vowels and consonants. We went through the songs we were due to sing in our next concert, paying particular attention to phrasing and breathing and I soon discovered I could sing the higher notes much more easily and confidently.
Lessons with Emma are always interesting, she has recommended various books and websites to explain all about the voice and also posture, which I discovered is much more important in voice production than I had realised.
Emma is great at selecting music for me to sing that suits my voice and musical interests and I really look forward to my singing lessons each week. This has enabled me to sing much more confidently in my choir and I enjoy all my singing much more as a result!’